Heat-seal fastener assembly



Se t. 6, 1966 E. MELANSON HEAT-SEAL FASTENER ASSEMBLY Filed March 27, 1964 mm mm m mm aw \\\w\\\\w w M a? w hmr Inveniozr. Mela-son,

HI I U Evereii Q PM a United States Patent 3,270,385 HEAT-SEAL FASTENER ASSEMBLY Everett Melanson, Wakefield, Mass, assignor to United- Carr Incorporated, a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 27, 1964, Ser. No. 355,348 1 Claim. (Cl. 24-216) The present invention relates generally to snap-fastener assemblies and more specifically to an assembly wherein the fastener components are heat sealed to surfaces of the parts to be fastened.

An object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive, easily fabricated and highly efficient snap-fastener assembly.

Another object of the invention is to provide snap fasteners which are formed from a strip of plastic material and may be readily heat sealed to a supporting garment.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a heat sealed fastener assembly including a socket member having its stud engaging portion substantially in line with its base to increase the shear strength of the socket.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become evident from a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with a viewing of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus designed to form snap fastener components in a continuous strip and selectively attach them to a support;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a strip showing the various stages through which the fastener passes during its formation;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the first step in the formation of the fastener using the punch and die shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a section taken on line 55 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a side elevation partly in section of an installation showing the socket in FIG. 5 engaging a stud to secure two panels.

FIG. 1 schematically depicts the apparatus employed in forming the novel fastener. The apparatus consists of an upper plate 1 which is connected to a high frequency generator 2. Mounted at one end of the plate is a block 3 carrying a forming punch 4. The punch 4 also acts as an electrode, as will be more fully discussed hereinafter. Adjacentthe block 3 and attached to the plate are a series of tools best described as a blanking punch 5, a centering pilot punch 6, a second pilot 7, a cutting tool 8 for outlining a fastener, a third pilot 9, and a fourth pilot 10. Each of the above-mentioned tools is effectively insulated from the plate 1 by the nonconductive isolating device 11.

Directly below the block 3 and punch 4 is a lower forming die 12 mounted in a support 13. As shown in FIG. 3 the die 12 has a slightly raised tapered portion 14 at its center. A second supporting device 15 is located beneath the series of punches enumerated above.

The right-hand side of FIG. 1 depicts, in schematic form, the upper attaching head, rotating fixture, and lower attaching tool of the automatic snap fastener attaching device disclosed in Patent No. 3,049,462, issued August 14, 1962, and designated 7a, 8a, and 9a respectively to correspond to the designations used in the referenced patent. The attaching mechanism is likewise energized by the high frequency generator 2.

FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 depict the method of forming a snap fastener socket according to the invention.

A strip 16 of thermoplastic materialfor example, vinylis fed by suitable means such as parallel rollers 17 onto the lower die 12. The plate 1 descends on its Patented Sept. 6, 1966 down cycle to a point where the punch 4 bottoms, as shown in FIG. 3. The plate, as previously stated, is energized; and the punch 4 acts as an electrode carrying a high frequency current. Thus, the vinyl is dielectrically heated and becomes sufficiently molten to be formed by the punch and die.

The punch 4 has a circular cavity 18 in its face and the molten vinyl flows into this cavity as the strip is heated and compressed. The raised portion 14 of the lower die 12 likewise forms a cavity, having a base 19 and inwardly tapered walls, in the underside of the strip.

An automatic timingand switching mechanism (not shown) is employed to cause the punch 4 to become deenergized for an interval, from one tenth to two tenths of a second, sufficient to allow the vinyl to cool and reset before the plate 1 commences its up or return cycle.

Thus, a circular annulet 20 is formed on one surface of the strip and a circular cavity or depression is formed in the other surface in the area described by the annulet 20.

The strip 16 continues to advance with the punch and die forming successive annulets and cavities therein until the leading portion of the strip rests on the support 15. Thereafter on successive down strokes of the plate 1 the punch 5 blanks out the base 19 of the cavity, providing a central aperture 21 defined by a thin pellicle-like lip 22.

The strip continues to advance and is continually positioned by the pilot punches 6, 7, 9, and 10 which seat in the central aperture 21 at each bottoming of the plate 1. Further, during this advance the cutting tool 8 outlines each of the successive fastener sockets by removing the excess material of the strip, leaving only a small tab 23 joining each of the sockets. As best shown in FIG. 2, the cutting tool 8 outlines the leading portion of one socket and the trailing portion of the preceding socket on each down cycle of the plate 1.

As the strip of integral fastener sockets moves beyond the support 15, the strip may be 'fed onto a reel (not shown) for storage and shipment if one so desires. Subsequently, the strip may be fed from the reel into an attaching mechanism as shown in the referenced Patent No. 3,049,462. In the alternative, the strip of vinyl fastener sockets may be fed directly into the attaching mechanism as shown in FIG. 1.

As disclosed in the referenced patent, the tab 23 is severed to ready the individual sockets for attachment to a garment, or the like 24. The individual fastener is best shown by FIG. 4. The flange 25 circumscribes the thicker portion formed by the annulet 20 which in turn is adjacent the thin lip 22 which defines the central aperture 21.

As the attaching head 8a rotates the annulet 20 which, as formed, faces upwardly is reoriented until it is brought into the posit-ion for attachment shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 shows the detail of a face 26 of the hexagonal rotary head So. The face 26 circumscribes a central pin 27 which retains each of the fasteners on the head while it is being rotated and also supports the socket during its attachment to the garment 24.

Once the fastener to be attached is in the lowest position on the hexagonal head 8a, the head moves down and forces the peripheral flange 25 of the socket into surface-to-surface contact with the garment 24, while the remainder of the socket seats in the cavity in the face 26 of the head. At this point the head is energized and the fastener is dielectrically heat sealed to the garment at the flange 25.

Thus, the novel snap fastener socket may be formed from a blank strip of vinyl and attached to a garment in one continuous operation by a single apparatus in a highly efficient and economical manner.

FIG. 6 depicts an installation showing two panels or portions of a garment 24 and 28; for example, the flaps of a rain jacket, which are joined by a snap fastener combination employing the present invention. A stud having a head 29 and a neck portion 30 is heat sealed at its base 31 to the panel 28. The head 29 is in snapped engagement with the socket and is retained by the lip 22 which surrounds the neck 30. The lip 22 is of course sufficiently flexible to allow for snapping engagement of the stud and socket.

It is significant to note that the socket is a highly efficient fastener member and possesses considerable holding power and shear strength even though it is formed from a relatively narrow vinyl strip. This results from the novel construction and method of attachment to a garment as shown in FIGS. and 6.

Since the outer flange 25 is forced downwardly and surrounds the annulet 20, increased strength is imparted to the walls of the socket. Thus the entire socket is substantially located in a series of planes which are transverse to the head 29 and neck 30 of the stud. This feature of the invention is more fully understood when the present socket is compared with those shown by the referenced Patent No. 3,049,462 or Patent No. 2,745,159, issued May 15, 1956.

The holding power of the present socket when considered in the light of the novel, economical method by which it is produced is a highly significant feature of the invention and cannot be too heavily emphasized.

With reference to the foregoing description it is to be understood that what has been disclosed therein represents a single embodiment of the invention and is to be construed as illustrative rather than restrictive or limiting in nature and that the scope of the invention is best described by the following claim.

I claim:

An assembly comprising in combination a support and a snap fastener socket, said socket having a base portion, a flange in the form of a pellicle of heat sealable material surrounding said base portion, an annulet extending from a surface of said base portion, and a thin inner wall integral with said base portion and defining an aperture in said base portion and co-operating with said annulet to provide a cavity capable of receiving a stud in snapping engagement with said socket, said flange being heat sealed to said support at its surface adjacent said annulet.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,368,100 1/1945 Boenicke 24-216 2,478,199 8/1949 Lyon 264294 2,745,159 5/1956 Jones 24-213 3,083,429 4/1963 Barlow et al. 24-208 3,192,298 6/1965 Fisher 264294 FOREIGN PATENTS 360,591 3/ 1906 France.

16,365 1910 Great Britain.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

E. SIMONSEN, Assistant Examiner. 

